The invention relates to a locking device for car seats, in particular motor vehicle seats.
In the case of prior art locking devices of this kind for two parts, which can be adjusted infinitely with respect to each other (EP 0 408 932 B1, DE 41 20 616 A1), a tight lock in each position of the parts that can be adjusted relative to each other is achieved by providing the locking teeth or the snap-in holes with an inclined face on at least one of the two sides facing in the direction of adjustment. The locking teeth's or the snap-in holes' conical shape that is produced by the inclined face(s) enables at least one section of the locking teeth to penetrate, in any position of the mutually adjustable parts, the snap-in hole(s) that is/are in alignment with said locking teeth until the surfaces facing in the direction of adjustment come to rest without play. However, the consequence of the conical shape of the locking teeth or the snap-in holes is that a load on one of the two mutually adjustable parts in the direction of adjustment results in a load on the locking teeth in the sense of a displacement out of the locking position into the release position. Since this condition places a restriction on the choice of lip angle, an infrnitely variable locking mechanism is possible only with a significant number of locking teeth.